Friday, August 6, 2010

What The Hell Do I Do With... Carrots? (and a lot of things to do with kale)

I know, carrots are pretty basic. But hey...

First though, here are some things you can do with kale. 

Lisa suggests colcannon puffs and suggests this recipe for kale chips.

Jacqueline says, "Kale chips are great! Just wash, pat dry, tear into chip-size pieces, removing stems, then toss with a tablespoon of olive oil. Lay them out flat on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with a little salt and nutritional yeast. Bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees, turning over once mid-way, and watching so they don't burn near the end. Yummo!"

Erin says, "For a super easy side, I tear it off the stem into a boiling/salted pot of water. Let it double double, boil and trouble for a few minutes, drain, and top with Cajun or Chipotle seasonings and/or garlic salt and/or hot sauce! Also tasty with a chopped fresh tomato on top."

Another Erin (the one I know personally and am friends with) said, "Separate the leaves from the tough stem. Simmer kale in a sauce pan with water for about 10 min (depending on how tough it is), drain it in a collander, then in the empty frying pan, heat up some oil (sesame adds the best flavor), add a bit of garlic for about 30 seconds, toss in the kale and saute a bit, until it dries out a bit and the oil has infused the kale. Then treat it with a squirt of tamari/soy sauce (less tamari if you have less kale; start with a little, taste and build from there to avoid really salty kale) and finish with about a tablespoon or so of sesame seeds."

That's actually the recipe that we make all the time. Because Erin gave it to us a few years ago. It's great, we love it and the kids love it. Thanks Erin!

Radioactivevegan suggests the Garlicky Kale With Tahini Sauce recipe from Vegan With a Vengance which can also be found when you click this here text.


Samantha made this Indian-Spiced Kale and Chickpeas and it was fabulous. 

Patrick throws it in smoothies. 

GreensPlease said, "Using whatever kind of kale you prefer (we rotate with whichever looks most fresh at the co-op), chop leaves into medium sliced shreds (like a thick cole-slaw). Chop thinner near the base as you ad more stem - we use as much stem as possible). 

We use a very hot wok, ad a bit of grapeseed oil then chopped garlic for a second then half the bunch of kale. Toss fast to keep the garlic from staying on the bottom. Cook tossing constantly for about a minute and a half. Add a bit of white wine vinegar or lemon juice to taste and remove right away to a serving dish. Repeat with the rest of the kale. If you do too much at once, you'll boil it which we would NEVER do. We like it with some crunch and as much nutritional value as possible. Finish with some sea or kosher salt and enjoy!"

And finally, Anonymous said, "I love the Kale-Potato Soup recipe from Laurel's Kitchen. It's just potatoes, onions, garlic, soy butter, kale, water, salt and pepper, but the simple flavors and hearty texture are really satisfying, especially during the cruelest months of winter."

Thanks everyone for all the ideas! Now I'm hungry for kale. 

So what's your favorite thing to do with carrots? I usually end up eating them raw with some ranch dill dip that we whip up (I'll post the recipe for that next time). Or I shred a couple and throw 'em in a scrambled tofu or a salad. But we're getting a lot of carrots from our CSA these days and I'd like to branch out a bit, so ... 

... what the hell do you do with carrots?

11 comments:

Al said...

On a side note, blogger has changed the way their blogs format and it's driving me crazy. This post starts with one typeface and ends with another. If I go into my created post to try to fix it (which I'm not sure how to do anyway), all formatting disappears and it's one big paragraph. Maybe it's something I'm doing wrong. That's possible. Either way, I'm tempted to migrate to wordpress, but probably won't.

Anonymous said...

we make a pilaf kind of a thing - grated carrots fried with onions, garlic and ground coriander seeds, and then just add some rice and stock and cover 'til cooked. i usually sprinkle some roast cashew nuts and fresh coriander on top. classic tuesday night dinner.

Jacqueline DuBois said...

Carrot cake/muffins with a soy-based cream cheese icing.

Erin said...

This is one of my favorites. Not ideal for summer, but tasty.

Chili-Roasted Carrots

From EatingWell, September/October 2009
Chili-Roasted Carrots Recipe

4 servings, about 3/4 cup each

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 pounds carrots (10-12 medium), cut into 1/4-inch diagonal slices
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 or 2 limes)

Preparation

1. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450ºF.
2. Combine oil, chili powder, cumin and salt in a medium bowl. Add carrots and toss well to coat. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast the carrots, stirring once, until tender and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Toss the carrots with cilantro and lime juice. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Per serving: 161 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 2 g protein; 7 g fiber; 455 mg sodium; 750 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (762% daily value), Vitamin C (27% dv), Potassium (21% dv).

Anonymous said...

roast carrots are definitely A Good Thing - great in a salad with some other roast veg too...

Jacqueline said...

There are a few things I like to do with carrots... carrot cake is one of them. Beyond that, roast them in the oven (cut into bite size pieces, toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and bake on a cookie sheet for about 25-30 minutes). Another way I love to make them is to make glazed carrots... cut them up small, put them in a small pot with some chopped onion, a little vegan butter and a little brown sugar. Cook until carrots are soft. Yummo!

Liz said...

Raw shredded carrot salad from The Yoga Cookbook

2 carrots
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. black mustard seeds
1 tsp. sesame seeds
Pinch ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne
1 tsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro
salt

shred carrots
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a skillet and fry cumin seeds, black mustard seeds and sesame seeds until they pop. Then add seeds and oil to shredded carrots. Add ground coriander,cayenne lime juice and fresh cilantro, too. Salt to taste.

You can do a lazy version with all ground spices and no oil, too. Or you can add peanuts!

Becky said...

I wrap them in foil along with some blackstrap molasses and a touch of Earth Balance. Bake until the carrots are soft, but not mush. Sweet and delicious!

Anonymous said...

This sounds bizarre, but it's really delicious. Sweet and creamy, but spicy and cruncy at the same time.

1 lb. carrots
1/4 cup water from cooked carrots
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
2 tablespoons onion, minced
1.5 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Earth Balance, melted
Paprika

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook carrots until tender. Drain, reserving water. Place cooked carrots in a shallow baking dish.

Combine water, vegan mayonnaise, horseradish, salt and pepper. Pour over carrots.

Combine breadcrumbs and melted Earth Balance and spread on top of carrot mixture. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake 15-20 minutes.

I also use carrots in recipes, like Samosa Casserole (http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/11149?section=), and anywhere mirepoix is called for.

a_y_s_e said...

shred them, along with some shredded zucchini and (maybe potatoes). use some egg substitute to hold them together, salt pepper. you can fry them like latkes, or pour the mixture into a oven-safe baking pan and bake!

Albert Maruggi said...

Ok this one was good, just came up with it for something different. Puree the carrots about 2 or 3 of them. then blend with tomato sauce, I use Bertolli Marinara, add a touch of cinnamon and a tablespoon of olive oil.

I used it as a sauce for cheese ravioli. With a name like Maruggi you'd expect nothing less right?